How do I make a pepper sauce for a steak?

[notnowbernard]

Thanks!

Get a handful of peppercorns, crush roughly.
Season the steak with a little salt and make sure it's room temperature. Boil 500ml beef stock until it's reduced by half.
Make your frying pan really hot, drop steaks in, I think it's 2 mins for rare and 3 for medium. Add 3 tablespoons brandy and let it sizzle! add reduced stock and crushed peppercorns bring to boil and let it bubble away for a minute. Add swirls of cream, let it bubble a bit more and serve.
We do this recipe every time, and it's based on delia smith's entrecôte steak.

No cream. Or even creme freiche

Does that mean I can't do a sauce for my steak? [pregnant and carniverous emoticon]

Colemans do a nice packet mix .

I fry the steaks with a load of pepper on them from the off. Then take steaks out to rest - deglaze the pan with some red wine, add some dijon mustard, some cream, salt, more pepper, let it simmer for a few minutes.

Just saw the no cream bit. No that's fine - just miss out the cream.

Lovely. thanks

Finely dice 4 shallots (or I use one onion) and fry for 1-2 minutes in a pan.

Make 9oz beef stock with Bovril. Mix in 2 teaspoons of mustard powder. Add this to the pan of onions/shallots.

Add 1 tablespoon of gravy granules and 1 tablespoon of peppercorns and stir on the heat for 1-2 minutes until slightly thickened.

Remove from the heat and stir in 2-3 tablespoons of natural fromage frais.

I've found the green peppercorns in brine better as they are soft. Sometimes the flavour doenst develop with cracked pepper if it hasnt been dry fried.

Sometimes if the steaks are thick you can burn the peppercorns if already on steak so I find best if made seperate.

I agree with the methods already discused.